Portable Power Stations for Camping

A portable power station is a big rechargeable battery with outlets. At camp, it quietly runs your lights, phones, a fan, a CPAP machine or a small fridge, with no fumes and no generator noise annoying the neighbors. Here's how to pick one and use it well.

01The two numbers that matter

• Capacity (watt-hours, Wh): how much energy it stores. Bigger = longer run time.
• Output (watts, W): how much it can power at once. A coffee maker or heater needs far more watts than a phone.

Rough run-time math: watt-hours ÷ device watts ≈ hours, minus about 10–20% for losses. A 500 Wh station running a 50 W device lasts roughly 8–9 hours.

02What it runs well

• Phones, tablets, cameras, headlamps
• LED string lights
• A CPAP machine (often most efficient without the heated humidifier, check with your doctor and the CPAP maker)
• A small 12 V fridge or cooler
• Fans and laptops

03What it doesn't run well

• Heaters, hair dryers, coffee makers, microwaves: high wattage, drains the battery fast, or exceeds the output.
• Anything for a long time if the station is small.

04Sizing for camping

• Weekend, phones and lights: a few hundred Wh.
• CPAP or a 12 V fridge: around 500–1,000 Wh or more, depending on use and nights.
• Longer trips or bigger loads: 1,000 Wh and up, plus solar.

05Recharging at camp

• Solar panels: pair the station with portable panels. Real output depends on sun, angle and season, often well below the panel's rating.
• Car charging: from the 12 V outlet while you drive.
• Wall outlet at sites with hookups.

06Battery type

LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries last many more charge cycles and are considered more stable; they're heavier. Standard lithium-ion is lighter.

07Safety

Keep it dry and ventilated, don't cover it while charging, and check for recalls on any battery product you own. Our sister site covers battery recalls and safe storage, and how the same stations work at home in an outage: power station vs. generator.

A power station is one of the nicest upgrades for car camping. Just size it to what you'll really use.

Photo: Camp de base Base camp (2632189979).jpg) by peupleloup, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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